Ryan Church returns to lineup; Emil Brown designated

Mets right fielder Ryan Church returns to the lineup Saturday, and manager Jerry Manuel said he will be the everyday right fielder. This will cause a logjam in the outfield, so the Mets designated Emil Brown for assignment.

Now that Church feels good and will start in right field, Gary Sheffield will get some more rests with him filling in occasionally in the outfield and being the designated hitter when the Mets play American League teams during interleague play.

While Sheffield and Fernando Martinez platoon in left field, Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis and Jeremy Reed will also see some time in the various outfield positions. Murphy and Tatis will also platoon at first base.

With Sheffield seeing less playing time and Martinez not having the power he had in the minors, the Mets are going to need to rely on Church’s bat to accentuate the offense. David Wright and Carlos Beltran can’t do it on their own, especially with the lack of home runs by Wright this season.